Thursday, January 03, 2008

John McCain: His Bull-ishness

Every time John McCain speaks he reveals the lengths he is willing to go to win the presidency of the United States.

He's also aligned himself with former Democrat turned Independent-Democrat Joe Lieberman to the point of no-return.

McCain supporters are tagged McCain-iacs.

He crafted the McCain-Feingold legislation which guts our first-amendment rights of free speech. Guess McCain-iacs don't care about that.

Reason Magazine clip

John McCain's War on Political Speech
How the Arizona senator and other campaign finance reformers use the law to muffle critics and trample the First Amendment.
Bradley Smith | December 2005


...For other "appearance of corruption" examples, we need look no further than the father of campaign finance reform himself, Sen. John McCain. In 2001 the Brennan Center, a group that advocates campaign finance reform, held a large fund-raising dinner whose honored guest and speaker was the "straight-talking" senator from Arizona. Several big corporations--many with interests before the Senate Commerce Committee, of which Sen. McCain was then the ranking minority member--sponsored the event. These sponsors included such companies as Coca-Cola; the investment firm Bear Stearns; many top law firms with lobbying practices in Washington; cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris--yes, Big Tobacco; and even Enron, which as we know is the most evil corporation in the history of the world. The event grossed an impressive $750,000.

Now what does the Brennan Center do? Well, the Brennan Center lobbied extensively to pass the McCain-Feingold bill, an issue that Sen. McCain once declared was of "transcendent importance to me." (An interesting choice of words, since transcendent, if you look it up in the dictionary, means "beyond human comprehension.") The Brennan Center also provided legal services, pro bono, to defend the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold bill in court.

So let's put this together: The Brennan Center invites Sen. McCain to speak and then approaches a large number of corporations, perhaps saying something like, "Sen. McCain--the ranking minority member of the Commerce Committee, before which your company has a great deal of business, and a possible future presidential candidate--is coming to speak. Would you care to sponsor a table?" And Enron and Coca-Cola and Philip Morris just suddenly decide that they are very interested in campaign reform and kick in some good old soft money, which the Brennan Center uses to lobby and provide free legal services for an issue of "transcendent importance" to none other than Sen. McCain. Appearance of corruption, anyone?

Wouldn't suggesting that corporations support the Brennan Center to provide legislative support to Sen. McCain on the issue that made his national reputation carry the same potential for blackmail and favoritism as corporate donations to political campaigns? Yet there is no suggestion that we should have broad prophylactic prohibition of that kind of fund raising--despite the fact that doing so would not only address this very real "appearance of corruption"; it would do much less to infringe on the free speech of the citizenry than McCain's treasured campaign finance restrictions...

http://www.reason.com/news/show/36322.html


At least so far, the Internet remains unregulated in that area. But beware, McCain supports such regulation there too, doesn't believe the net should be exempted...

Has McCain equivocated on the issue of so-called comprehensive immigration reform? When you hear that phrase you know it's code for "amnesty" for illegal aliens.

Other sites have doggedly tracked McCain for your information. Be aware.

Video: John McCain says he “never supported amnesty
December 30, 2007

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/12/30/video-john-mccain-says-he-never-supported-amnesty

clip

The First Amendment says this:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


And that's precisely what it means.

Accordingly, I believe we can all get behind these following points:

Freedom of speech and the press is of critical importance to the preservation of both individual freedom, and the free character of our nation.

It is a traditional American Liberty that we guard jealously.

This Freedom is directly and unambiguously protected by the Bill of Rights.

Our Blogs are the way we choose to directly manifest that freedom. They are our sacred 21st century soapboxes, and we view them as being completely protected.

The Infrastructure that enables blogs is the instrumentality of that freedom, and is therefore also protected.

The universal criticality of this transcends partisan consideration.

Therefore, We, the proud members of the McCain-Feingold Insurrection, will continue to excercise our right of free speech through our online venues as we see fit, without limitation.

We shall vigorously defend our right and ability to do so going to such lengths and using such means as the situation and our individual consciences dictate.

posted by geekWithA.45 at 6:25 PM


http://mccain-feingold-insurrection.blogspot.com/


Related

Reactivating Liberty
George Will
Thursday, June 28, 2007

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/will/s_514726.html


A Setback for McCain-Feingold?
Tuesday, Jun. 26, 2007 By REYNOLDS HOLDING

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1637305,00.html

clip

5-4 Supreme Court Weakens Curbs on Pre-Election TV Ads
Ruling on McCain-Feingold Law Opens Door for Interest Groups in '08

By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 26, 2007; Page A01

The Supreme Court yesterday substantially weakened restrictions on the kinds of television ads that corporations and unions can finance in the days before an election, providing special interest groups with the opportunity for a far more expansive role in the 2008 elections.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the 5 to 4 decision, saying the McCain-Feingold campaign finance act's prohibition against the use of a candidate's name in such ads in the days before an election was an unconstitutional infringement on the groups' rights to advocate on issues.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/25/AR2007062500548.html

Campaign Law Dogs McCain

http://electionlawblog.org/archives/2007_04.html

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